Toxichem Krimtech 2010; 77(3):198 P-1. Specific measurement of ethanol in serum and urine the Department of Legal Medicine, University of Pavia, during with an assay kit on the fully automated RX series the period from 01-01-1999 to 30-06-2009. More than 70% of analysers people involved in traffic accident were mothorvehicle driver, P. McGivern, T. Lipton, R. I. Bell, J. Campbell, S. P. Fitzgerald while pedestrian and cyclist are equally represented. Blood Randox Laboratories, Crumlin (United Kingdom) specimens were analyzed for alcohol and in 262 cases also for Introduction. Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a psychoactive drug illicit and therapeutic drugs. Drugs when present were present in alcoholic beverages. It acts as a central nervous quantitated. Urine, when available, was submitted to system depressant. Ethanol tests are used in the diagnosis and immunochemical screening of drugs of abuse and confirmation treatment of alcohol intoxication or poisoning and also in the of positive results by GC-MS. Results.. Alcohol above 0.1 g/L determination of legal impairment and forensic judgement. was detected in 205 cases (42.2%) and the concentration Aims. We report the development of an assay kit for measured was above the legal limit (0.5 g/L) in the 70.7% of quantitation of ethanol in serum and urine on the RX series these cases. A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) between 1.5 analysers exhibiting specificity for the target compound without g/L and 2.5 g/L was mesured in 55 cases (27%) while 28 interferences with other organic compounds such as subjects (14%) had a BAC higher than 2.5 g/l. Central nervous acetaldehyde, methanol and other known typical interferents in system active drugs were detected in 23.3% (62 cases). serum and urine. This is of value for applications in medical and Cocaine and metabolites (29%) and cannabinoids (25%) are legal settings. Methods. The assay is enzymatic. An the most represented drugs of abuse; opioids were detected in absorbance change at 340 nm, directly proportional to the 24 cases, morphine was detected in 9 cases and methadone in amount of ethanol in the specimen, is measured. Two ready to 15 ones, and no amfetamine and derivatives are founded. use liquid reagents are used and the assay is applicable to the Association with alcohol was found in 25.4% of positive cases fully automated RX series analysers, which include dedicated for illicit drugs. Conclusions. The incidence of alcohol and software for data management. On-board and calibration drugs among the population involved in fatal traffic accidents stabilities were tested by storing the reagents uncapped on the highlight the importance of performing qualitative and analysers for 28 days. Within-run and total precision (n=80) quantitative blood analyses to assess the effective role of were assessed by testing samples at defined concentration alcohol and drugs in driving impairment. levels. Correlation studies were conducted using commercially available ethanol assays. Results. Performance evaluation P-3. The effects of reducing the legal blood alcohol shows an assay sensitivity of 10 mg/dl (assay range 10-500 concentration limit for driving in Sao Paulo, Brazil mg/dl). Within-run precision and total precision expressed as Gabriel Andreuccetti, Heraclito Barbosa Carvalho, Cheryl %C.V.was <2.7. The liquid assay reagents present an on-board Cherpitel, Julio Carvalho Ponce, Vilma Leyton, Tulio Kahn stability of 28 days at approximately 8 °C, calibration frequency Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Sao Paulo of 21 days. Correlation studies generated the following linear Medical School, Sao Paulo (Brazil), Alcohol Research Group, regression equations: Y=0.91x+1.99; r=1.00 (40 serum Emeryville CA (United States), Department of Legal Medicine, samples) and Y=0.93x–1.41; r=1.00 (45 urine samples). University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo (Brazil), Conclusions. Data indicate specificity and reproducibility of this Public Security Office, Sao Paulo (Brazil) assay kit for the measurement of ethanol in serum and urine on Introduction. The augmented risk of road traffic accidents the fully automated RX series analysers, using ready to use when under the influence of alcohol is well documented. liquid reagents, calibrators and controls. This is of value for However, many countries do not have a drink-driving law yet or alcohol testing in medical and legal settings. have blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits that are above 0.5 g/l, in contrast to international recommendations regarding P-2. Alcohol and drugs in fatal road accidents between traffic safety. In Brazil, a new law introduced in June 2008 has 1999 and 2009 reduced the BAC limit for drivers from 0.6 to 0.2 g/l, but the Cristiana Stramesi, Claudia Vignali, Maria Luisa Fino, Angelo effectiveness in reducing traffic accidents remains uncertain. Groppi Aims. To analyze the effects of lowering the BAC limit on road Department of Legal Medicine, Forensic and traffic fatalities and injuries in both the State and the capital of Pharmacotoxicological Science, University of Pavia, Pavia Sao Paulo, Brazil. Methods. Data on deaths and injuries (Italy) caused by road traffic accidents were collected from January Introduction. The Italian National Institute of Statistics 2001 to May 2009 (a total of 45,794 fatalities and 1,298,318 recorded 5,131 fatal road accidents in 2007. One of the main injuries). Time series analysis and simple comparisons one year causes of traffic crashes is driving under the effects of alcohol before and after the new law were carried out. Results. Traffic and/or psychoactive substances (illicit drugs or some fatalities have been decreasing in the capital since 2001, with a medication). In Italy the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration reduction of 7.9% in the post-law period. Traffic fatalities in the passed from 0.8 g/L to 0.5 g/L in 2007 and the Court can decide State, however, remained constant from 2001 until 2008, if also psycoactive substances have to analysed in blood in fatal although a reduction of 6.9% was observed after the law. Traffic accidents. Aims. A retrospective study was carried out to injuries have been increasing since 2001, in both regions, and produce epidemiological data concerning the role played by began declining even before the law, showing a greater alcohol and psychoactive substances in fatal road accidents. reduction in the post-law period (12.4 and 13.8% for capital and The focus of this study was to establish the dimension of this State, respectively). Conclusions. The new road traffic law had problem and to describe the characteristics of people involved a deeper impact on traffic injuries than fatalities. Nevertheless, in road fatalities under psychoactive substance effects. the decrease on casualties was observed during the period Methods. The material studied is made up of 487 subjects before the law, when preventive actions and police enforcement deceased in consequence of road accidents and examined at were already being used for controlling alcohol-impaired driving, Toxichem Krimtech 2010; 77(3):199 which points to the relevance of such laws as a reinforcement two oral fluid samples. One was tested on-site with one of the strategy.(LIM-40-HC-FMUSP) selected devices, while the second sample was used for confirmation analysis by ultra-performance liquid P-4. Self reported (il)licit drug use in Belgian drivers chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Trudy Van der Linden, Peter Silverans, Cristina Isalberti, Sara- Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and prevalence for Ann Legrand, Alain Verstraete amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine, and opiates were Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and calculated for each device applying Belgian legal confirmation Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent (Belgium), Belgian Road cut-offs (THC 10 ng/mL; amphetamine 25 ng/mL; free morphine Safety Institute, Brussels (Belgium) or 6-MAM 5 ng/mL; cocaine or benzoylecgonine 10 ng/mL). Introduction. There are relatively few data on the prevalence of Results. All devices showed good specificity for all drugs driving under the influence of drugs in the general population. classes. Sensitivity and accuracy were very variable among devices and drug classes, as shown in the table below. Aims. To determine the number of drivers who took drugs and TARGET True False True False DEVICE medicines by using questionnaires, and comparing to the substance pos pos neg neg results of toxicological analysis. Methods. 2957 respondents Cocaine 19 0 195 35 Opiates 85 2 120 42 Varian OraLab® 6 driving a personal car or van completed a questionnaire during THC 18 2 159 70 roadside surveys to report their use of drugs and medicines Amph 19 0 216 14 Cocaine 6 1 124 6 during the last two weeks and indicate the time of last intake. Dräger DrugTest® Opiates 75 3 45 14 The drug classes were combined to benzodiazepines and Z- 5000 THC 20 5 107 5 Amph 6 0 129 2 drugs, antidepressants, codeine, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, Cocaine 1 1 129 7 Opiates 49 0 66 23 heroin and amphetamines. Drugs were analysed in oral fluid by Cozart® DDS 806 THC 11 0 99 28 UPLC-MS/MS. Frequencies in the time categories were Amph 4 1 131 2 calculated and compared with toxicological results. Results. Cocaine 3 3 120 7 Opiates 62 2 52 17 Drug class Self-report/ Use <1h <4h <12h <24h >24h Unkn Mavand RapidSTAT THC 13 12 91 17 toxicology (n)/ own positive Amph 1 4 123 5 toxicology Cocaine 7 0 96 7 Opiates 64 2 20 24 (n) Innovacon OrAlert Alcohol 1614/196 138/95 180/56 182/ 370/9 713/1 31/7 THC 3 0 97 10 15 4 Amph 1 10 97 2 Antidep. 110/41 6/3 14/5 50/ 24/8 8/0 8/6 TARGET N.